Hungary’s prime minister suggested a “comprehensive” probe be conducted by the United Nations (UN).
QUICK FACTS:
- Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto called for an investigation into the “scandalous” attack on the Nord Stream gas pipeline.
- “Because this is basically the first time when such a major European critical infrastructure was attacked – by whoever, but it was attacked,” the prime minister said to Russian news agency RIA Novosti.
- “And such kind of an attack must be considered as a terrorist attack, basically,” Szijjarto added.
- The prime minister then suggested a “comprehensive, deep, structured and detailed” probe into the Nord Stream explosion, noting that the “UN should give a framework” for the investigation.
- The Hungarian official believes the United Nations provides the best opportunity for an investigation because the organization was not designed to be an “integration of like-minded countries,” but “where any discussion can take place, because everyone is here…even enemies can and should talk to each other.”
ALLEGED U.S. SABOTAGE OF NORD STREAM PIPELINE:
- In September 2022, Russian ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia said the United States “undoubtedly” could gain from the Nord Stream pipeline explosions.
- “American liquefied natural gas suppliers should be celebrating the manifold increase in LNG supplies to Europe,” the ambassador stated.
- The claims were reiterated after Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh alleged that U.S. deep-sea divers used a NATO military exercise to plant mines along the pipeline in a cooperative effort with Norway. Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov responded to the journalist’s report, stating the “publication confirmed a conclusion we made for ourselves…we never had any doubts that the United States, possibly other NATO countries, were involved in this outrageous sabotage.”
- Former National Security Agency (NSA) employee Edward Snowden connected the recent takedowns of unidentified objects to the Nord Stream explosion, noting there seems to be an “engineered panic” over aerial objects to divert the public’s attention away from the pipeline incident.
BACKGROUND:
- World Economic Forum (WEF) contributor Jeffrey Sachs suggested in October 2022 that the U.S. likely had a hand in the pipeline explosion.
- The U.N.’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network President said to Bloomberg that there is “direct radar evidence that U.S. helicopters, military helicopters that are normally based in Gdańsk were circling over this area. We also have the threats from the United States earlier this year that one way or another we are going to end Nord Stream.”
- “We also have a remarkable statement from Secretary [Antony] Blinken last Friday at a press conference and he says ‘this is also a tremendous opportunity,'” Sach’s added, referring to Blinken’s positive reaction to the pipeline’s destruction.
